Duo accused of wrecking one vehicle, misleading homeowners to steal another

The vehicle abandoned by Rickman and Schultz sits half-submerged in a flooded field. Rickman and Schultz were arrested nearly 90 miles away from this initial incident after police say they told a fake story to some rural homeowners and stole a vehicle.(Photo: Special to the Register)

After abandoning their vehicle in a flooded field Thursday, two Wisconsin men stole another after telling a rural homeowner a fake story, authorities said.

The duo was eventually found by authorities 90 miles away in the dorm room of a University of Iowa student.

Seth James Rickman, 18, and Devin Glen Schultz, 22, both of La Crosse, Wisconsin, face a handful of charges in relation to the incident, according to a news release from the Fayette County Sheriff's Office.

According to the release, deputies took a report around 4 a.m. Thursday that a vehicle was half-submerged in a flooded field just outside Arlington. Deputies arrived to find the occupants had fled the scene.

Two hours later, law enforcement received a report of a stolen vehicle and learned that two men had knocked on the door of a rural residence and given the homeowners a fake story. The homeowners had taken the men inside and provided dry clothing. The release said the men then traveled to a nearby store, where they were picked up by a female.

Later in the day, deputies found the men in the dorm room of a University of Iowa student. University police helped deputies detain the men.

Authorities found both Schultz and Rickman were on probation out of Wisconsin, and the latter had a warrant out for his arrest.

Schultz was charged with operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent, possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, failure to maintain control of a vehicle, and driving with no driver's license or insurance.

Rickman was charged with aiding and abetting the operation of a vehicle without the owner's consent, and possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

The news release said Wisconsin Department of Corrections is working on obtaining criminal holds for the men and plans to extradite them back to Wisconsin.